MMDA: Malls may return to normal operating hours

A family spends time together in a big shopping mall in Quezon City. INQUIRER.net file photo / Katherine G. Adraneda

Shopping malls in Metro Manila were advised by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to return to their normal operating hours starting Friday to “give the public more time to do their last-minute Christmas shopping.” In a statement on Thursday, MMDA Acting Chair Romando Artes said that malls may now open again as early as 9 a.m. from the previous 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. that took effect on Nov. 14. Last month, mall operators agreed to adjust their operating hours as “to reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila.” But Artes said the anticipated traffic problems during the Christmas season did not come to pass. The MMDA did not give advice on mall closing hours. —Mariejo S. Ramos